Glamorous NYPD cop faces racketeering charges after helping her mobster boyfriend flee to Dominic Republic before her colleagues could arrest him for murder
- Gina Mestre, 33, helped boyfriend Andrew Done, 24, flee his arrest
- She now faces 60 years in prison on federal racketeering charges for aiding the Shooting Boys gang
An NYPD police officer has been charged with racketeering after helping her mobster boyfriend flee to the Dominican Republic before her police colleagues could arrest him for murder.
Gina Mestre, 33, began dating Andrew “Caballo” Done, 24, in the summer of 2020 while she was working as an agent of the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx.
He was the leader of the Shooting Boys, a notorious gang whose members have been charged with murder, attempted murder, heroin and cocaine trafficking, and other crimes.
Captivated by her new love, she not only helped him evade arrest for a broad daylight shooting, but also told members of his gang who had informed against them, leading to violent attacks.
Prosecutors say she also warned them that a grand jury indictment against the gang was being prepared so they could take steps to cover up their crimes.
Gina Mestre, 33, began dating Andrew “Caballo” Done, 24, in the summer of 2020 while working as an agent of the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx
In November 2020, Done was caught on surveillance camera footage killing a member of a rival gang.
His girlfriend was part of the police tasked with identifying and finding him.
Instead, she sent him a copy of the video and told him he was “hot.” It gave him enough time to flee to the Dominican Republic.
Mestre remained in New York and continued to work with the police force until her involvement with the gang became public in March 2022.
It coincided with the arrests of several gang members, according to US prosecutors who indicted Mestre yesterday.
Now Mestre risks up to 60 years behind bars. Done was arrested in the Dominican Republic last year and returned to the US, where he remains detained.
Done was caught on surveillance camera footage of him killing a rival gang member in November 2020. He shot the other man through the windshield. His girlfriend tipped him off, allowing him to flee to the Dominican Republic
Mestre was fired last year. She has since been charged and released on a $250,000 personal recognition guarantee.
Announcing the charges against Mestre, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “As alleged, Gina Mestre shamelessly used her position of public trust to aid gang members in her own NYPD precinct who were terrorizing the Bronx through robberies, murders, drug trafficking , and other acts of violence.
“The indictment unsealed today alleges that the defendant abused her position as an NYPD police officer by, among other things, obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the gang and assisting the gang leader evade arrest for a cold-blooded murder committed in broad daylight. .
“The defendant’s alleged conduct violates the oath she has sworn to protect the public — as well as her fellow NYPD officers — from the kinds of criminal activities she helped the gang commit.
“This indictment makes it clear that my agency and our law enforcement partners will remain vigilant in combating all forms of police corruption.”
Mestre pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Done was found guilty of murder in February and sentenced to 35 years in prison.